Kindle 2 finally gets native PDF support, screen rotation

Newly sold Kindles will come with an expanded battery, and those with the …

Companies that make the whole widget, like Apple, are able to nudge consumers towards buying new hardware by limiting the software features that work on older models. Amazon, which makes both the hardware and software for its Kindle e-book readers, appeared to be heading down the same path. The Kindle 2 had significantly improved system software that didn't work on the original model, and the wide-format Kindle DX came with its own, even more capable software stack. But now, half a year after the introduction of the DX, its smaller sibling is receiving a software makeover that will enable screen rotation and PDF reading.

The Kindle 2 hardware got a bump, as well, with a new battery that is claimed to have an 85 percent increase in life. According to Amazon, that means users can leave their wireless connection switched on and still get about a week's worth of use out of their device. Since the Kindle 2's battery isn't removable, though, anyone who already owns one is stuck with their current capacity.

On the software side, the news is better. The Kindle 2 will now come with the native PDF support that appeared in the DX, including the possibility of rotating the screen for wide-format viewing. PDFs can be transferred to the device either through Amazon's e-mail service, or users can avoid all fees by manually copying the files over a USB connection. The DX will also get an update that improves the PDF viewing.

Owners of a current device should be updated automatically at some point in the near future, provided they remember to switch their wireless service on. The impatient among them can also download the new firmware and perform the update over USB.

Although owners of the first-generation device are still left out in the cold, the move (belatedly) brings software parity to all the readers Amazon is currently selling and, more significantly, provides owners of any current-generation hardware with the same software. This suggests that Amazon isn't as interested in putting its users on a perpetual upgrade treadmill as some of the other consumer electronics companies.

The PDF-focused nature of the update, however, hints that this update might be an attempt to bring the vision of Jeff Bezos, Amazon's CEO, to fruition. When the DX was introduced, Bezos argued that it provided the key to a paperless (and ink-cartridge-less) future. Although you could argue about his contention that a portable document reader was the primary hold-up to going paperless, it was clear that PDF capabilities were central to this vision, and getting PDF capabilities on as many Amazon-branded devices as possible is an obvious way to work towards that goal.